American Heart Association and Duke Energy Foundation teach life saving CPR to students

In the United States, 350,000 people die from heart attacks every year, with less than 50% performing life-saving CPR. Thanks to partnerships with the American Heart Association and the Duke Energy Foundation, thousands of new recipients in Pasco and Citrus counties will now be ready to respond with CPR and first aid kits as and when they need them.

As students and staff head back to school, the American Heart Association is helping schools in Florida's Duke Energy service area with a $50,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation to provide ninth- and 11th-graders with the cardiovascular exercises they need; they are also providing them with first aid and CPR training beginning from the sixth grade.

"We know that 70 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home," said Amanda Palumbo, director of the American Heart Association in Tampa Bay. “Manual CPR alone can double or even triple a person's life expectancy. By learning this life for students, we are safe for everyone.”

American Heart Association and Duke Energy Foundation want to know how students, teachers and staff can help emergency situations. The school children have been taught CPR and primary health care techniques.

The support of the Duke Energy Foundation and the American Heart Association guarantees the support the first class emergency aid planning for reducing heart attack death in the school environment.

“Safety is at the forefront of all we do in Duke Energy. We are proud to partner with the American Heart Association to provide additional CPR kits to middle schools and high schools in our service area. Together, we will equip faculty, students and staff with the skills and resources to save lives and keep communities safe,” said Melissa Seixas, chairman of Energy Energy Florida.

The following schools will receive CPR kits from Duke Energy Foundation grants for the 2022-2023 school year: